This invention relates to identification means for the ends of lead wires of electrocardiographic monitoring instruments or the like.
Electrocardiographic monitoring instruments are provided with a plurality of lead wires which comprise output terminals to correspond to each of the commonly recorded anatomical positions; for instance, LA, RA, LL, RL, VI-6, or others, with the lead wires or output terminals associated with the common anatomical positions such as left arm, right arm, left leg, right leg, and particular torso areas. Thus, it can be seen that as many as ten or more lead wires and output terminals are required for each machine. During use, the lead wires require repetitious handling or manipulation for placing onto and off of a patient's body as well as being plugged into and out of the machine itself. Because of this repeated handling of the lead wires, they oftentimes become damaged or broken and must be replaced, requiring a hospital or other user to maintain a considerable supply of replacement wires to insure continuous and immediate usage of the machines. The supply of such an inventory of such lead wires creates problems particularly in view of the fact that the lead wires are labelled, usually by color coding, for each of the plurality of anatomical positions for which the lead wires are utilized in conjunction with the machine itself. The color coding for the patient leads usually is in conformance with uniform colors for electrocardiographs used in the United States and, preferably, world-wide. The color codifications may be associated with either individually colored lead wires or with plug bodies if used at the lead ends.
In the past, the color codifications most often were provided by labeling or cable legends of a permanent type, such as by tags or engraving, for each individual lead wire and, should a lead wire become damaged or broken, a replacement therefor must be obtained from the hospital's inventory corresponding to the particular permanently coded broken lead wire. Readily removable legends or labels are undesirable because of the possible problem of erroneous labeling which would result in an inaccurate reading by the electrocardiographic machine. In addition, environmental problems are caused when using permanent labeling which might be obscured or otherwise made unreadable due to liquids or other materials commonly found around hospitals and the storerooms thereof.
To further exemplify the problems involved in maintaining an inventory of replaceable lead wires for electrocardiographic machines, a present standard or common color coding presently used in the United States might be described. As referred to above, an electrocardiographic machine might include ten lead wires corresponding to the commonly recorded anatomical positions; namely, LA (left arm), RA (right arm), LL (left leg), RL (right leg), and VI-6 (six torso positions). The RL through LA lead wires for the legs and arms would have a base color codification, such as white, and additional color codification for each limb; namely, green for RL, red for LL, white (white on white) for RA, and black for LA. The torso lead wires VI-6 would have a brown base color accompanied by additional indicia relating to the six different torso positions. It can readily be seen that considerable problems result in maintaining an inventory of lead wires for the electrocardiographic machine, particularly when an institutution such as a large hospital might employ a number of such machines. The problems further are enhanced when different machines from different manufacturers are employed which might utilize different types of lead wires or output terminals for the different machines.
This invention is directed to providing identification means for solving these problems in using electrocardiograph monitoring instruments.